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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station 


URBANA,  OCTOBER,   1902. 


BULLETIN  NO.  79. 


THE  CORN  BILL-BUGS  IN  ILLINOIS. 


BY  S.  A.  FORBES,  STATE   ENTOMOLOGIST. 

The  corn  "  bill-bugs  "  are  snout-beetles  of  various  size  and 
color,  but  averaging-  rather  large,  the  majority  of  them  dull  black, 
with  the  surface  much  marked  with  small  pits  and  narrow  grooves. 
In  form  they  are  somewhat  regularly  oval,  with  thick  bodies,  round- 
ed above  and  beneath,  and  with  rather  long  "  snouts  "  or  "  beaks  " 
of  medium  strength,  bent  downward  from  the  front  of  the  head. 
They  injure  and  often  kill  young  corn  in  spring  by  thrusting  the 
beak  into  the  stem  of  the  plant  near  its  base  and  eating  out  the  in- 
ner tissue  beneath  the  point  of  puncture.  Their  presence  in  the 
field  is  very  soon  made  manifest  by  the  appearance  of  circular  or 
oblong  holes  running  in  rows  across  the  blade  of  the  leaf,  each  row 
resulting  from  a  single  thrust  of  the  beak  when  the  leaves  were 
closely  rolled  together  in  the  young  plant.  The  injury  done  varies- 
from  insignificance  up  to  complete  destruction  of  practically  every 
plant  in  several  acres  of  corn  and  for  two  or  three  successive  plant- 
ings. 

In  the  Sixteenth  Report  of  this  office,  for  the  years  1886-8& 
(  but  published  in  1890  ),  is  an  article  on  these  insects  summarizing 
briefly  the  results  of  observations  then  the  most  recent  and  the 

435 


436  BULLETIN  NO.  jg.  [October, 

contents  of  previously  published  articles  on  the  subject,  but  propos- 
ing- no  preventive  or  remedial  measure  except  a  single  one  for  the 
prevention  of  injuries  to  corn  by  the  clay-colored  bill-bug1,  Sphenoph- 
orus  ochreus,  on  newly  drained  and  freshly  broken  swampy  fields. 
This  preventive  measure  consists  merely  in  planting-  the  ground 
broken  up  from  the  swamp  grasses  to  some  other  crop  than  corn 
for  the  first  year,  flax  being-  especially  suggested. 

For  the  ordinary  injuries  to  corn  on  old  ground  I  had  at  that 
time  no  definite  measure  to  propose,  but  a  fuller  knowledge  of  the 
life  histories  and  habits  of  the'  bill-bugs  and  some  observations 
lately  made  in  both  recently  subdued  swamp  lands  and  old  upland 
fields  have  furnished  a  sufficient  basis  for  a  highly  useful  method 
of  prevention  of  the  worst  of  these  injuries,  and  this  fact  has  made 
desirable  a  new  treatment  of  the  subject  as  a  whole. 

USUAL.  CONDITIONS  OP  INJURY  TO  CORN. 

While  there  is  in  Illinois  a  little  general  and  unclassifiable  in- 
jury to  corn  by  the  bill-bugs,  by  far  the  greater  part  of  it  occurs 
under  one  of  three  conditions.  If  swamp  lands  are  broken  up  from 
grass  in  spring  and  planted  to  corn  the  same  year,  and  especially 
if  the  common  reed  or  the  club-rush  or  other  thick-stemmed  grasses 
with  bulbous  roots  are  common  in  the  turf,  the  corn  is  extremely 
likely  to  be  badly  injured  if  not  wholly  destroyed  by  one  of  the 
swamp-loving  species  of  this  group.  If  such  land  is  poorly  culti- 
vated, allowing  these  bulb-root  grasses  to  grow  up  again,  the 
injury  may  continue  for  at  least  another  year.  If  an  old  timothy 
sod,  either  pure  or  mixed  with  some  other  grass,  is  plowed  in  spring 
and  planted  immediately  to  corn,  this  crop  is  likely  to  be  severely 
injured  by  other  and  smaller  species  than  those  which  attack 
the  crop  in  swamps.  I  have  known  but  one  case  of  any  consider- 
able injury  by  these  insects  to  a  field  of  corn  in  Illinois  except  un- 
der one  of  the  above  conditions. 

GENERAL  FEATURES  OF  L/IFE  HISTORY. 

The  explanation  of  these  facts  is  to  be  found  in  the  life  history 
of  the  various  species  commonest  in  our  region,  and  in  the  food  and 
feeding  habits  of  the  larvae.  The  largest  of  our  bill-bugs  breed 
mainly  and  naturally  in  the  bulbous  roots  of  two  or  three  large, 
grass-like  swamp  plants,  sedges,  rushes,  and  the  like.  The  ma- 
jority of  the  species  of  medium  size  live  chiefly  in  fields  of  tim- 
othy, the  larvae  feeding  on  the  root  bulbs  of  that  grass;  and  one 
or  two  of  the  smallest  species  may  feed  either  on  timothy  bulbs  or 
on  roots  of  blue-grass  in  meadows,  pastures,  and  lawns. 


IQ02.]  THE    CORN    BILL-BUGS   IN   ILLINOIS.  437 

So  far  as  I  know  the  bill-bug's  pass  the  winter  in  the  beetle 
stage,  in  the  ground,  under  rubbish,  or  in  other  protected  situations, 
and  all  whose  life  history  has  been  at  all  closely  observed  in  Illi- 
nois make  their  appearance  in  spring-,  chiefly  in  fields  in  which  they 
have  lived  as  larvae  and  where  they  have  fed  on  the  roots  of  grasses 
the  preceding  year. 

As  the  adult  beetles  feed  in  nature  on  the  same  plants  as  their 
larvaa  there  is  little  to  tempt  them  to  migrate  from  one  field  to  an- 
other, and  the  facts  lately  collected  in  this  state  concerning  the 
previous  history  of  badly  injured  fields  clearly  indicate  that  the 
beetles  pass  the  winter,  as  a  rule,  in  the  same  fields  in  which  they 
passed  through  their  earlier  stages,  provided  that  these  fields  have 
been  undisturbed. 

GENERAL  PREVENTIVE  MEASURE. 

From  this  it  follows — and  experience  has  amply  confirmed  the 
conclusion — that  if  a  field  of  grass  infested  by  corn  bill-bugs  be 
plowed  in  fall  before  the  time  of  insect  hibernation  has  begun  it 
will  be  but  lightly  infested  by  them,  if  at  all,  the  following-  year. 
Early  fall  or  summer  plowing  of  grass  lands  intended  for  corn  is 
thus  an  effective  measure  of  prevention  against  injury  to  that  crop 
the  following  year. 

Injury  to  corn  by  these  beetles  has  now  become  so  frequent  and 
in  some  cases  so  severe,  and  the  facts  concerning-  the  species  are  so 
little  known,  that  a  full  detail  of  our  present  knowledge  which 
bears  on  the  subject  in  a  practical  way  seems  to  be  particularly  de- 
sirable. 

THE  LITTLE  BROWN  BILL- BUG;  THE  BLUE-GRASS  BILL- BUG. 
(Sphenophorus  parvulus  Gyll. ) 

Sphenophorus  parvulus,  one  of  the  smallest  of  the  bill-bugs,  is 
essentially  an  upland  species,  breeding  commonly  in  the  ordinary 
cultivated  grasses,  especially  in  blue-grass  and  timothy.  It  is 
sometimes  abundant  in  city  lawns  ;  it  is  one  of  the  species  responsi- 
ble for  a  considerable  injury  to  timothy  meadows;  and  it  frequently 
infests  corn  following  upon  the  meadow  grasses,  although,  owing 
to  its  small  size,  its  injuries  to  this  crop  are  comparatively  slight 
except  while  the  plant  is  young. 

This  little  bill-bug  is  better  represented  in  our  collections  than 
any  other  species,  and  as  we  have  repeatedly  reared  it  from  the 
larva  to  the  imago  in  confinement  we  have  a  comparatively  full 
knowledge  of  its  life  history.  On  this  account  it  will  be  convenient 


438  BULLETIN  NO.  79.  [October, 

to  treat  it  first  in  this  discussion  in  order  that  it  may  be  used  as  a 
standard  of  comparison  for  the  species  whose  life  histories  are  less 
fully  known. 

DISCUSSION   OF    LIFE    HISTORY. 

Occurrences  of  the  Adult  Beetle. — We  have  forty-one  Illinios 
collections  of  the  adult  beetle  of  this  species  recorded,  extending1 
from  March  18  to  October,  and  representing  thirteen  years  between 
1882  and  1901.  A  serial  account  of  these  collections,  in  order  of 
the  calendar  but  disregarding1  the  years,  will  enable  us  to  trace  the 
species  fairly  well  through  the  season  and  to  note  the  variations 
and  transformations  of  its  habits  and  its  food. 

Our  earliest  collection  was  made  March  18,  1882,  at  Kappa,  in 
Woodford  county,  where  living1  beetles  were  found  among-  dead  leaves 
in  woodlands,  evidently  still  in  hibernation.  Next,  April  7,  1897, 
it  was  collected  at  Urbana  on  blue-grass  sod  under  boards  lying 
where  they  had  been  placed  as  an  attraction  to  cutworms  seeking 
shelter  by  night.  On  this  same  date  in  1882  it  was  obtained  in  a 
woodland  lot  south  of  Bloomington.  April  14,  1897,  it  was  collected 
under  boards  on  grass  at  Normal,  and  April  16,  1887,  at  Edgewood, 
in  Effingham  county,  in  a  badly  damaged  old  timothy  meadow.  It 
was  here  hidden  on  the  ground  under  dead  vegetation,  and  was 
apparently  still  in  its  hibernation  quarters.  Occasional  bulbs  of 
this  timothy  had  been  hollowed  out  the  year  before  in  the  manner 
characteristic  of  the  work  of  Sphenophorus  larvae,  but  this  injury 
was  comparatively  insignificant. 

On  April  17,  1894,  it  occurred  at  Urbana  in  a  tuft  of  volun- 
teer wheat,  apparently  having  left  its  winter  quarters  at  this  time 
.  and  resorted  to  the  growing  wheat  for  food.  April  19,  1887,  a 
single  specimen  was  found  under  a  fence  rail  lying  on  the  grass, 
the  head  of  it  covered  with  mites  (  Gamasidce  )  of  the  kind  which 
frequently  infest  old  beetles.  This  specimen  was  certainly  not 
fresb,  but  must  have  hibernated  as  an  adult.  On  the  24th  and 
25th  of  April,  1884,  it  was  obtained  in  the  course  of  miscellaneous 
entomological  collections  at  Normal  and  Bloomington,  in  McLean 
county;  and  again  on  the  30th  of  the  same  month  and  year,  in 
sweeping  blue-grass  at  Normal  with  the  insect  net..  In  this  last 
case,  again,  it  had  apparently  begun  to  feed.  May  4,  .1892,  it  was 
brought  in  at  Urbana  from  under  boards,  and  May  6,  1887,  was 
found  at  the  same  place  on  grass. 

Our  earliest  date  for  an  injury  to  corn  is  May  15,  1891,  report- 
ed by  S.  P.  Campbell,  of  Loami,  Sangamon  county,  III.  "  These 
beetles,"  says  Mr.  Campbell,  "insert  the  proboscis  and  each  leg 


1902.]  THE   CORN   BILL-BUGS   IN   ILLINOIS.  439 

into  the  stalk  and  absorb  all  the  sap,  leaving-  small  holes  in  the 
plant,  weakening-  it  very  much.  "  This  injury  seemed  to  be  g-ener- 
al  in  Mr.  Campbell's  neighborhood,  as  he  says  that  "  considerable 
interest  is  taken  in  the  matter,  "  and  that  "an  answer  to  my  in- 
quiries will  gratify  many.  " 

May  19,  1887,  it  was  found  at  Champaign  doing-  a  very  con- 
siderable injury  to  corn  on  sod.  A  single  specimen  was  taken  just 
below  the  surface  of  the  soil  with  the  beak  inserted  in  the  stalk. 
At  Jerseyville  on  the  20th  of  May,  1891,  another  specimen  was 
taken  from  about  an  inch  below  the  surface  on  a  stalk  of  corn  three 
or  four  inches  high,  which  it  had  injured  sufficiently  to  cause  the 
leaves  to  wilt.  At  Champaig-n  May  21  and  22,  1888,  it  was  ob- 
tained from  corn  plants  in  a  field  which  had  lately  been  plowed 
from  grass.  As  these  beetles  had  often  been  said  to  suck  the  sap 
of  the  stalks  they  pierce,  one  of  these  specimens  was  dissected  to 
determine  the  nature  of  its  food,  and  this  was  found  to  consist  of 
bits  of  the  characteristic  epidermis  of  grass-like  plants  and  of  par- 
allel-veined veg-etation  containing1  spiral  vessels — evidence,of  course, 
that  its  injuries  to  corn  are  done  by  biting-  and  swallowing-  the  sub- 
stance of  the  plant  and  not  by  sucking-  the  sap.  This  specimen 
was  a  female,  well  filled  with  fully  matured  egg's. 

On  the  24th  of  May,  1897,  at  Union  Grove,  Whiteside  county, 
it  was  found  very  abundant  on  corn  below  the  surface  ;  and  at  Ur- 
bana,  May  24,  1889,  a  specimen  was  taken  from  a  stem  of  grass 
which  it  had  punctured  through  the  sheath  of  the  second  leaf  from 
the  ground.  May  25,  1901,  at  Knoxville,  in  Knox  county,  several 
specimens  were  taken  from  corn  growing  in  sod.  The  beetle  was 
doing  a  rather  serious  injury  throughout  the  field.  On  the  26th 
of  May,  1885,  one  was  taken  with  its  beak  thrust  into  a  stalk  of 
young  corn  about  three  inches  high,  the  puncture  being  made  an 
inch  above  the  ground.  The  beetle  was  so  engrossed  with  its  feed- 
ing that  it  remained  attached  after  the  corn  was  pulled  up  and  un- 
til it  was  forcibly  picked  away.  On  the  27th  of  May,  1887,  a  speci- 
men was  found  under  a  board  on  the  grass,  and  on  the  same  day  of 
the  month  in  1901  another  was  taken  from  young  corn  at  Oneida, 
in  Knox  county.  On  the  28th  of  May,  1901,  specimens  were  brought 
in  as  injuring  young  corn  at  Buda,  Bureau  county,  and  also  on  the 
31st  of  that  month  in  1887  at  Rankin,  in  Vermilion  county. 

June  7,  1884,  a  beetle  was  taken  near  Du  Quoin  with  its  snout 
inserted  in  a  stalk  of  wheat  close  to  the  ground.  June,  8,  14,  and 
16,  1882,  it  occurred  in  miscellaneous  collections  in  McLean  county; 
and  on  the  28th  of  June,  1900,  it  was  seen  at  Griggsville,  Illinois, 
feeding  on  a  corn  plant  eighteen  inches  high.  It  was  at  the  sur- 


440  BULLETIN  NO.  7Q.  [October, 

face  of  the  ground  with  its  beak  thrust  far  into  the  stalk.  At  the 
same  place  on  the  next  day  it  was  taken  from  timothy,  many  of 
the  plants  at  this  time  being-  infested  by  the  larvae  of  this  species. 
July  1  to  10,  1883,  it  was  collected  at  Normal,  Illinois,  and  on  the 
19th  and  21st  of  July,  1891,  it  was  obtained  at  Urbana.  On  the 
30th  of  July,  1900,  it  appeared  in  a  breeding-cage,  reared  from 
larvae  which  had  been  taken  in  timothy  bulbs  at  Griggsville  June 
26.  The  transformations  of  this  lot  of  larvae  were  not  yet  com- 
plete July  30,  the  earth  containing  on  this  date  eight  beetles,  one 
pupa,  and  four  larvae — all  alive.  In  August,  1892,  it  appeared  in  a 
breeding-cage  of  Professor  Webster,  in  Ohio,  bred  from  larvae  of 
that  year.  September  20,  1893,  a  specimen  was  found  on  the 
ground  in  a  corn  field  near  Urbana  ;  and  on  the  24th  of  September, 
1885,  one  was  seen  in  a  breeding-cage  which  had  been  stocked  with 
larvae  from  timothy  bulbs  at  Normal  July  13.  The  date  of  trans- 
formation is  unknown  as  this  breeding-cage  had  been  neglected, 
no  examination  having  been  made  since  August  3. 

September  25,  1882,  a  specimen  was  taken  at  Elmira,  in  Stark 
county,  in  the  course  of  general  collections  of  insects  on  corn.  In 
October,  1882,  it  was  found  at  Normal,  the  conditions  not  being 
recorded  ;  and  on  the  5th  of  October,  1885,  it  was  taken  from  a 
breeding-cage  of  timothy  larvae  established  July  13,  but  which  had 
not  been  previously  disturbed  since  August  11. 

From  these  data  it  is  plain  that  this  bill-bug  hibernates  as  a 
beetle  in  ordinary  situations  ;  that  on  coming  out  from  its  winter 
quarters  it  takes  its  first  food  from  blue-grass,  young  wheat,  and 
similar  vegetation  ;  that  it  transfers  its  attentions  to  corn  with  the 
first  appearance  of  the  plants,  affecting  that  crop  most  generally 
and  injuriously  on  timothy  or  blue-grass  sod  ;  that  it  may  continue 
to  feed  on  corn  as  late  as  the  latter  part  of  June,  even  when  the 
plant  is  eighteen  inches  high,  but  that  it  distributes  its  attentions 
also  over  the  grasses  and  grains  ;  and  that  the  beetles  of  the  new 
generation — which  begin  to  appear  as  early  as  August — emerge,  at 
least  in  part,  from  their  subterranean  cells,  and  secrete  themselves 
for  hibernation  as  reported  above. 

Occurrences  of  Immature  Stages. — Larvae  of  S.  parvulus  have 
been  noted  in  the  course  of  our  work  at  various  dates  from  June  11 
to  October  22,  the  last  a  single  instance  of  what  was  perhaps  de- 
layed pupation  in  a  neglected  breeding-cage.  The  intermediate 
dates  are  June  13,  16,  26,  27,  and  28,  July  4,  13,  21,  and  30,  and 
August  10.  The  larva  taken  at  this  last  date  was  boring  the 
crown  of  a  timothy  bulb  on  the  grounds  of  the  Experiment  Station 
at  Urbana.  It  was  transferred  to  a  breeding-cage,  where  it  re- 


IQ02.]  THE   CORN   BILL-BUGS   IN   ILLINOIS.  441 

mained  without  special  attention  until  October  22,  at  which  time 
it  was  still  feeding-  on  the  timothy.  All  our  specimens  have  been 
taken  from  the  root  bulbs  of  timothy,  but  the  larva  is  reported 
by  Webster  ('93)  to  occur  occasionally  in  wheat,  and  by  Bruner 
('92)  sometimes  to  infest  blue-grass  lawns  in  sufficient  numbers  to 
kill  large  patches  of  sod. 

Pupae  have  occurred  in  the  course  of  our  work  on  July  24  and 
30,  but  eggs  have  not  been  seen  by  us  at  all.  Webster  ('92)  ob- 
served oviposition  as  late  as  July  1,  and  inferred  that  the  eggs  are 
mainly  laid  late  in  May  and  in  June. 

I  find  in  these  data  no  definite  indication  of  more  than  a  single 
brood,  unless  the  facts  reported  concerning  the  larva  brought  in 
August  10  should  be  so  interpreted.  It  seems  to  me  more  likely, 
however,  that  this  was  a  belated  member  of  the  same  brood  as  the 
other  larvae  reared  by  us,  and  that  its  pupation  was  retarded  by 
neglect.  Our  failure  to  find  pupae  except  in  the  middle  of  the  sea- 
son is  negative  evidence  of  the  absence  of  a  second  brood.  It  is  of 
course  true,  on  the  other  hand,  that  in  the  absence  of  numerous 
continuous  experiments  in  the  breeding  of  separate  individuals,  no 
final  statement  can  be  made  with  respect  to  the  number  of  genera- 
tions. 

Briefly  stated,  as  now  understood,  the  life  history  is  substan- 
tially as  follows  :  Hibernating  in  the  imago,  the  beetle  lays  the 
eggs  in  early  summer,  beginning  probably  in  May  ;  larvas  hatch 
in  June  and  doubtless  for  some  weeks  thereafter  ;  pupation  begins 
in  July,  and  the  final  transformations  to  the  adult,  beginning  late 
in  that  month,  continue  into  August  and  possibly  for  some  time 
thereafter. 

INSTANCES  OF  INJURY  TO  CORN. 

The  most  definite  and  serious  case  of  the  destruction  of  corn 
by  this  beetle  which  has  come  to  my  knowledge  was  reported  to  me 
by  Mr.  Dalbey,  of  Taylorville,  late  in  June,  1902. 

A  visit  to  this  place  made  June  30  by  Mr.  E.  S.  G.  Titus 
showed  that  in  a  field  of  forty  acres  the  injury  was  decidedly  un- 
equal but  still  very  general.  In  one  part  of  the  field  nearly  every 
stalk  on  several  acres  had  been  injured,  while  in  other  parts  the 
damage  varied  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  plants. 
This  field  had  been  in  timothy  for  the  four  preceding  years,  and 
was  broken  up  in  April,  3902,  and  planted  almost  at  once  to  corn. 

Some  twenty  timothy  fields  in  this  neighborhood  were  care- 
fully examined,  and  the  root  bulbs  in  all  were  more  or  less  infested 
by  the  larvae  of  this  bill-bug-.  Fields  two  years  in  timothy  after 


442  BULLKTIN  NO.  79.  [Oclober, 

corn  or  wheat  showed  ten  to  twenty  per  cent,  of  the  plants  infest- 
ed, while  in  those  three  and  four  years  old  from  fifty  to  seventy- 
five  per  cent,  were  more  or  less  injured,  and  contained  larvae  vary- 
ing" in  size  from  medium  to  apparently  full  grown. 

A  second  field  of  corn  on  timothy  sod,  plowed  early  last  fall 
and  planted  at  the  same  time  as  the  one  first  mentioned,  contained 
not  a  trace  of  bill-bug1  injury,  although  dead  timothy  bulbs  still  in 
the  ground  showed  distinctly  that  they  had  been  hollowed  out  by 
bill-bug-  larvae.  The  contrast  between  these  two  fields  of  corn 
growing-  on  old  timothy  sod  infested  with  the  larvae  of  Sphenoph- 
orus  the  previous  jear,  one  of  the  fields  having-  been  plowed  in 
April  and  the  other  in  early  fall,  was  particularly  significant,  and 
amounted  in  fact,  to  a  demonstration  of  the  preventive  effect  of  the 
fall  plowing-  of  such  lands. 

SPHENOPHORUS  PLACIDUS  SA\. 

This  species  has  been  several  times  taken  on  corn  in  Illinois, 
but  the  most  notable  instance  of  its  injuries  to  that  crop  was  giv- 
en me  by  Mr.  Joseph  Carter,  of  Rankin,  Vermilion  county.  In  a 
letter  dated  May  1,  1887,  he  incloses  a  specimen  of  this  beetle  with 
the  statement  that  he  found  it  below  the  surface  of  the  ground  eat- 
ing- into  a  corn  plant,  and  that  where  the  injured  leaf  appears 
above  ground  it  is  crossed  by  parallel  rows  of  holes.  He  finds  the 
beetles,  he  says,  on  every  plant  on  an  acre  or  two  of  corn,  and  in  a 
letter  of  June  5  he  adds  that  the  beetle  is  destroying-  some  five  or 
ten  acres  in  an  eig-hty-acre  field.  The  corn  in  this  field  was  plant- 
ed on  fall  plowing-  after  oats.  The  ground  was  dry  and  sandy  and 
tiled  every  hundred  fret.  Subsequently  I  learned  that  this  eighty 
lay  adjacent  to  an  old  and  run-down  meadow  of  timothy  with  a  little 
redtop  intermixed,  and  that  the  injured  patch  of  corn  was  near  this 
meadow.  It  is  to  be  inferred  from  this  statement  that  the  bill-bug-s 
had  scattered  out  from  this  field  of  timothy  to  the  adjacent  corn  in 
search  of  food. 

The  life  history  of  this  species  is  not  definitely  known,  its  im- 
mature stag-es  never  having  been  distinguished  so  far  as  my  infor- 
mation goes.  Our  earliest  collection  of  the  beetles  was  made  April 
8,  1892,  from  overflowed  land  on  a  creek  bottom  near  Urbana — evi- 
dently a  hibernating  specimen.  The  next  date  of  its  occurrence  is 
May  21,  1888,  in  lately  plowed  sod  near  Champaign  ;  and  the  next, 
May  31,  1887,  as  given  above.  June  1,  1895,  it  was  found  injuring 
corn  in  Leroy,  in  McLean  county  ;  June  5,  1887,  it  was  still  at  work 
in  the  field  at  Rankin  ;  June  14,  1882,  it  was  taken  at  Normal  in 
miscellaneous  collections  ;  June  19,  at  Spring  Valley,  from  young 


1902.]  THE    CORN   RILL-BUGS   IN    ILLINOIS.  443 

corn  ;  June  30,  1888,  from  driftwood  in  a  small  creek  near  Urbana 
after  a  flooding-  storm  ;  and  July  7  of  the  same  year,  from  corn  at 
Bement,  111.,  where  it  was  doing-  considerable  injury.  June  19, 
1902,  it  came  to  us  from  northern  Illinois  near  Savanna  ;  June  20, 
1888,  from  corn  fields  in  Whiteside  county  ;  and  Aug-ust  5,  1887, 
from  Fourth  Lake,  in  northern  Illinois,  where  it  was  taken  from 
bulrushes  along-  shore.  So  far  as  our  data  g-o  they  indicate  a  life 
history  similar  to  that  of  the  better-known  species  ;  hibernation  in 
the  imag-o  ;  and  an  early  attack  on  corn,  with  probably  a  midsum- 
mer breeding-  period  of  a  single  generation. 

THE  CL-AY-COLORED  BILL-BUG 
{Sphenophorus  ochreus  Lee.) 

Injury  to  Corn  in  Ford  County,  1888. — My  first  knowledge  of 
the  habits  and  life  history  of  this  species  began  with  a  letter  writ- 
ten June  21,  1888,  by  Mr.  J.  A.  Montelius,  of  Piper  City,  Ford 
county,  to  Professor  G.  E.  Morrow,  Dean  of  the  College  of  Agri- 
culture at  the  University  of  Illinois.  In  this  letter,  which  was  ac- 
companied by  four  specimens  of  S  ochreus,  Mr.  Montelius  reported 
that  these  beetles  were  destroying  the  corn  on  new  ground  in  his 
locality  by  eating  into  the  stalk  and  boring  to  the  heart  of  it  with 
the  effect  to  kill  the  plant.  They  were  present  in  great  numbers, 
and  had  destroyed  a  large  part  of  the  crop — some  of  it  several 
plantings  in  succession  on  the  same  laud. 

Visiting  these  fields  on  the  23d  of  June,  1888,  I  found  them  in 
a  swamp  area  which  had  been  recently  drained  by  a  large  ditch. 
Some  of  these  fields  had  been  broken  up  and  cropped  the  preceding 
year,  but  most  of  them  were  planted  for  the  first  time  in  1888.  On 
the  farm  of  Mr.  Montelius,  six  miles  north  of  Piper  City,  a  field  of 
twenty-five  acres  had  been  once  destroyed,  and  the  second  planting 
was  so  badly  damaged  that  the  crop  had  been  abandoned  and  the 
ground  was  being  sown  to  millet  at  the  time. 

The  injury  consisted  of  long  slit-like  punctures  of  the  stalk, 
beneath  which  the  interior  leaves  and  the  stalk  itself — that  is  to 
say,  all  the  more  succulent  and  softer  parts  of  the  plant— were  ir- 
regularly but  often  completely  eaten  out.  In  the  worst  cases  the 
plant  was  killed  ;  or,  if  the  injury  was  less  severe,  the  leaves  were 
finally  marked  with  more  or  less  regular  oblong  holes  extending 
lengthwise  of  the  blade  but  forming  rows  across  it. 

The  injury  thus  done  varied  in  position  from  a  little  below 
the  surface  of  the  ground  to  the  middle  or  upper  two  thirds  of  the 
larger  leaves.  The  beetles  were  often  seen  at  work  on  young 


444  BULLETIN  NO.  79.  {October, 

stalks,  head  downward,  with  the  beak  inserted  its  full  length. 
They  were  always  on  the  lower  part  of  the  plant  from  an  inch 
above  the  ground  to  a  little  below  it,  and  as  many  as  three  of 
th"em  were  sometimes  seen  on  a  single  stalk.  They  were  not  easily 
alarmed,  but  the  plant  might  even  be  cutaway,  if  care  were  used, 
without  disturbing-  them.  Although  they  clung  closely  to  the 
plant,  they  could  readily  be  picked  off  by  the  fingers  ;  and  when 
thus  disturbed  they  would  feign  death  for  a  little  time. 

The  damage  in  this  field  was  heaviest  near  the  drainage 
ditch,  where  nearly  every  hill  was  badly  eaten.  This  ground  had 
been  broken  from  swamp  sod  that  spring,  and  the  injury  was  slight 
except  where  two  coarse  grass-like  plants  were  abundant,  the  com- 
mon reed,  Phragmites  communis,  and  the  club-rush,  Scirpus  fl uviat- 
ilis.  An  examination  of  these  plants  showed  an  injury  to  both 
which  was  precisely  similar  to  that  done  to  corn,  but  affected  the 
wild  grasses  much  less  seriously  than  the  cultivated  plant.  The 
injury  to  the  reed  had  apparently  ceased,  but  the  club-rush  in  un- 
broken sod  adjacent  was  still  infested,  the  beetles  being  there 
found  at  the  upper  part  of  the  plant  piercing  the  terminal  row  of 
leaves  and  eating  out  the  interior  as  in  corn.  None  were  on  these 
wild  plants  growing  in  the  plowed  fields,  the  beetles  apparently 
preferring  the  corn  as  food. 

In  a  field  separated  from  the  foregoing  by  two  or  three  rods  of 
sod,  and  bearing  now  its  second  crop  of  corn,  no  appreciable  dam- 
age had  been  done  by  these  beetles,  and  here  the  reeds  and  rushes 
were  wanting,  having  been  completely  killed  by  the  second  year  of 
cultivation. 

The  sexes  were  pairing  at  this  time,  but  no  eggs  were  discov- 
ered by  a  careful  search  of  punctures  and  excavations  in  all  kinds 
of  injured  plants. 

On  another  farm,  occupied  by  Mr.  Dennis,  a  field  of  fifteen 
acres  of  corn  was  even  more  seriously  injured  This  also  had  been 
broken  up  the  same  spring,  and  the  reeds  and  rushes  were  very 
abundant  in  the  lower  ground,  growing  up  through  the  sod.  In 
such  situations  the  corn  had  been  completely  destroyed,  although 
replanted  several  times. 

In  still  another  field,  two  miles  away,  belonging  to  Mr.  Sulli- 
van, which  had  been  broken  from  sod  that  spring,  no  damage  by 
bill-bugs  had  been  done,  but  in  this  field,  which  had  been  used  as 
a  pasture  for  several  years,  neither  reeds  nor  rushes  had  grown. 

July  27,  1888,  these  same  farms  were  visited  by  an  assistant 
of  the  office,  Mr.  John  Marten,  who  found  the  bill-bugs  still  pres- 


IQ02.]  THE    CORN   BILL-BUGS   IN   ILLINOIS.  445 

ent  in  small  numbers   and  injury  still  in  progress,  although  evi- 
dences of  fresh  work  were  few. 

In  a  field  of  a  hundred  and  fourteen  acres,  belonging-  to  Mr. 
Dennis,  eig-hty  acres  had  been  sown  to  millet  after  the  destruction 
of  the  corn,  a  pulverizer  being-  used  to  prepare  the  ground.  Here 
the  millet  had  been  considerably  injured  —  the  lower  part  of  the 
stem  punctured  by  the  beetle  and  cut  off  with  the  effect  to 
kill  the  plant.  In  parts  of  the  field  the  damage  thus  done  amount- 
ed to  eighty  per  cent,  of  the  yield,  althoug-h  the  plants  had  rallied 
to  some  extent  by  throwing-  out  new  shoots  from  the  root.  Even 
the  fox-tail  grass  (  Setaria  )  had  been  similarly  attacked  to  a  small 
extent,  and  with  the  same  result. 

On  the  next  day,  July  28,  a  visit  was  made  to  a  field  of  swamp 
land  which  was  then  being-  broken  up  for  the  first  time.  Many  of 
the  bulbs  of  the  rushes  were  cut  in  two  by  the  plow,  and  more  than 
half  of  these  had  been  excavated  by  the  larvae  of  the  bill-bugs,  two 
of  which  were  brought  to  the  office  alive.  A  considerable  number 
of  adult  S.  ochreus  were  crawling-  in  the  furrows  and  over  the  fresh 
sod,  and  one  dead  bulb  was  found  with  the  remains  of  an  adult  in 
the  burrow. 

Experiment  with  Bill-bugs  on  Corn. — July  3  a  lot  of  these 
beetles  from  Piper  City,  sent  from  there  June  29,  were  placed  on 
hills  of  corn  growing-  under  large  frames  covered  with  wire  gauze, 
the  bases  of  which  were  sunk  four  inches  in  the  earth.  By  July  5 
several  of  these  beetles  had  beg-un  to  feed,  and  on  the  14th  the  corn 
was  already  badly  eaten.  On  the  17th  a  stalk  of  this  damaged 
corn  was  removed  and  critically  examined,  but  no  egg's  were  found. 
All  the  beetles  were  still  alive  except  one  male.  The  injuries  to 
the  corn  were  at  this  time  numerous  and  severe,  but  the  plants 
seemed  rapidly  growing-  away  from  them,  and  the  beetles  had 
moved  from  the  base  of  the  stalk,  which  had  doubtless  become  too 
hard  for  their  jaws,  to  the  terminal  leaves  and  other  growing-  struc- 
tures, including  the  young-  ears  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  in 
length.  The  young-  husks  had  been  perforated  and  the  ears  were 
excavated  lengthwise,  practically  destroying-  them.  Tassels  and 
terminal  leaves  showed  great  recent  injury,  and  the  sheaths  of 
leaves  near  the  deeper  punctures  and  excavations  of  the  stem  had 
often  been  gnawed  into  but  not  far  enough  to  go  through  the 
sheath,  the  beetles  having  apparently  found  the  tissues  here  too 
tough.  On  the  24th  additional  search  was  made  for  eggs  on  sev- 
eral stalks  which  were  taken  out  of  the  earth  for  the  purpose,  but 
without  success  ;  neither  eggs  nor  trace  of  breeding-  operations 
could  be  found  in  or  about  any  part  of  the  plant.  The  usual  punc- 


446  BULLETIN  NO.  79.  [October, 

tures  and  slits  were  abundant  about  the  base  of  the  stem,  with  some 
small  discolored  excavations  also,  but  nothing-  else. 

September  10,  the  remaining1  contents  of  this  cage  were  finally 
overhauled,  but  neither  live  beetles,  eggs,  nor  larvae  were  found 
The  stalks,  roots,  leaves,  ears,  and  tassels  had  been  much  injured, 
the  tassel  and  the  upper  part  of  the  stalk  perhaps  most  seriously  so. 

The  method  of  feeding1  was  carefully  observed  by  both  Mr. 
Marten  and  myself.  Placing1  itself  head  downward,  with  its  stout 
leg's  embracing1  and  firmly  grasping1  the  stalk,  the  beetle  applies 
the  tip  of  its  beak  straight  against  the  surface,  cutting1  the  outer 
tissue  with  the  mandibles,  the  action  of  which  is  distinctly  audi- 
ble. Gradually,  with  an  occasional  twisting1  motion  of  the  head, 
it  sinks  two  thirds  or  more  of  its  snout  into  the  stalk,  and  then, 
slightly  rolling1  its  head  from  side  to  side  with  clock-like  regular- 
ity, it  uses  its  beak  as  a  lever  to  split  the  stalk  and  pry  the  edges 
of  the  slit  apart.  It  pauses  from  time  to  time  to  eat  out  the  soft 
tissues  within,  and  by  moving1  forward  and  backward  and  twisting1, 
to  the  right  and  left  it  often  hollows  out  an  interior  cavity  much 
larger  than  the  surface  injury  would  indicate.  Then  pulling1  the 
head  strongly  backward  with  the  compressed  beak  inserted,  the 
stalk  is  split  upward  as  a  boy  would  split  a  stick  with  a  knife.  In 
this  way  a  slit  an  inch  long1  may  be  made  in  the  stalk  of  corn,  be- 
neath which  all  the  softer  parts  have  been  eaten  out. 

Injuries  in  1889. — The  following-  year,  1889,  similar  and  equal- 
ly serious  injuries  were  done  by  this  beetle  in  the  Piper  City  dis- 
trict, according  to  a  letter  received  from  Mr.  Montelius  under  date 
of  May  21.  At  that  time  forty  acres  of  corn  belonging-  to  Mr. 
Towers  had  already  been  destroyed,  while  on  the  place  occupied  by 
Mr.  Dennis  the  injury  done  was  apparently  fully  as  great  as  that 
of  the  preceding-  year. 

A  letter  recently  received  from  Mr.  Montelius,  dated  August  8, 
1902,  reports  that  injuries  by  the  swamp-land  bill-bugs  ceased  with 
the  second  year,  and  that  nothing  has  been  seen  of  them  during 
the  thirteen  years  since.  The  temporary  nature  of  their  attack  on 
newly  subjugated  swamp-lands  is  thus  definitely  proven. 

Observations  on  Life  History.  —  Other  occupations  made  it  im- 
possible to  return  to  this  place,  but  late  in  the  season  the  life  his- 
tory of  the  species  was  taken  up  at  Urbana  by  observations  in  a 
swampy  field  where  the  club-rush  was  common. 

July  2,  nine  specimens, two  of  which  were  copulating,  were  found 
in  a  large  sedge,  Cyperus  strigosus,  at  the  margins  of  a  pond  near 
Urbana.  July  16,  two  eggs  and  larvae  which  proved  later  to  be  those 
of  this  species  were  discovered  by  Mr.  Marten  behind  the  leaf 


IQO2.J  THE   CORN   BILL-BUGS    IN    ILLINOIS.  447 

sheaths  and  in  stems  of  ^.  fluviatilis.  Both  were  placed  from  two 
to  four  inches  above  the  bulb,  the  eggs  in  the  softer  part  of  the 
stalk  just  inside  the  hard  woody  outer  layer.  One  larva  brought 
in  on  this  day  had  already  burrowed  irregularly  downward  for 
about  three  inches  from  the  place  of  its  hatching.  The  following 
day  two  more  eggs  and  another  larva  were  found  similarly  placed. 
On  the  22d  of  July  one  of  these  eggs  had  hatched  and  the  larva 
from  it  had  burrowed  downward  within  the  stem,  and  on  the  23d 
two  more  eggs  had  hatched.  Unfortunately  no  further  progress  was 
made  with  these  specimens,  both  plant  and  larvae  having  died  by 
August  20. 

July  22,  three  more  larvae  of  this  bill-bug  were  found  at  Ur- 
bana  in  the  club-rush,  and  August  1  several  more  of  various  sizes, 
from  those  recently  hatched  to  one  four  tenths  of  an  inch  in  length. 
One  egg  was  also  found  on  this  same  day.  Two  of  the  larvae  were 
in  one  stem.  August  14,  three  more  larvae  were  brought  in,  prac- 
tically full  grown.  One  had  burrowed  completely  through  a  small 
bulb  of  the  club-rush,  the  channel  through  the  bulb  being  contin- 
uous with  that  in  the  stalk.  August  20,  three  other  full-grown 
larvae  were  obtained  from  the  same  swampy  field,  and  all  had  bur- 
rowed downward  from  the  place  of  deposit  of  the  egg  to  the  bulb, 
a  distance  of  about  three  inches,  and  had  passed  out  of  this  into  a 
bulb  of  last  year's  growth,  in  which  they  were  imbedded  at  the 
time.  The  plant  first  attacked  was  killed  in  every  case.  Septem- 
ber 10  one  of  these  bulbs  was  opened  and  a  pupa  found  within,  and 
on  the  16th  of  September  the  pupal  cavity  contained  an  adult  -S1. 
ochreus.  On  the  17th  of  September  another  beetle  of  this  species 
was  taken  from  a  second  of  these  bulbs.  Three  specimens  were 
brought  in  August  28  in  essentially  the  same  condition  as  those 
collected  August  20  ;  that  is,  in  each  case,  young  larvae  hatching 
from  the  egg  had  burrowed  downward  through  three  or  four  inches 
of  the  stem  and  to  the  young  bulb  at  its  base,  and  had  passed  from 
this  into  that  of  last  year's  growth,  traversing  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
or  so  of  earth  to  reach  the  older  bulb. 

Injuries  in  Whiteside,  Adams,  and  Schuyler  Counties. — A 
case  similar  to  the  foregoing,  also  from  a  district  recently 
drained,  was  reported  to  me  June  25,  1895,  by  M.  D.  John,  of  the 
"  Sterling  Evening  Gazette,  "  in  Whiteside  county.  According  to 
his  statement  whole  fields  of  corn  were  almost  completely  destroyed 
in  the  vicinity  of  Deer  Grove,  sixteen  miles  south  of  Sterling,  by 
the  clay-colored  bill-bug  (  Sphenophorus  ochreus,  )  together  with 
a  black  species  of  similar  size,  in  all  probability  S.  pertinax.  These 
bill-bugs,  he  says,  seem  to  be  at  home  in  the  water  as  well  as  on 


448  BULLETIN  NO.  79.  [October, 

land.  Two  or  three  thousand  acres  of  corn  along1  Green  River 
were  reported  to  have  been  destroyed  at  this  time,  and  most  of  the 
farmers  were  replanting  so-called  ninety-day  corn,  hoping-  still  to 
secure  a  crop. 

The  next  report  of  serious  injury  to  corn  by  this  species  which 
has  reached  me  came  by  letter  dated  May  24,  1901,  from  H.  D. 
Hill,  of  Lima,  Adams  county,  111.,  who  sent  a  specimen  of  this  bee- 
tle with  the  statement  that  it  was  destroying-  the  young  corn  on  his 
farm  on  bottom-lands  which  were  originally  overflowed,  but  which 
had  been  reclaimed  and  cultivated  for  about  twelve  years. 

Another  letter  of  June  25,  1902,  from  Rushville,  111.,  written 
by  H.  E.  McLaren,  reports  these  beetles  as  present  in  the  bottom- 
lands of  a  drainag-e  district  about  the  24th  of  May,  or  as  soon  as 
the  corn  was  large  enoug-h  to  afford  them  food.  They  made  their 
appearance,  he  says,  in  new  ground  the  previous  year,  but  were 
still  more  numerous  and  destructive  in  1902 

Extraordinary  Injury  to  Corn  in  Greene  County. — Under  date 
of  May  28,  1902,  I  received  the  following-  letter  from  John  C.  Bridge- 
water,  of  Bridg-ewater,  Greene  county,  111. : 

"lam  sending-  you  to-day  about  three  hundred  bugs  which 
we  call  elephant  bugs.  We  give  them  this  name  because  of  their 
color,  the  enormous  size  as  compared  with  that  of  other  pests  in- 
this  section,  and  the  trunk  or  bill.  Their  destructiveness  is  un- 
paralleled, as  you  may  judge  for  yourself  when  I  say  that  farmers 
are  paying  five  cents  a  dozen  for  them  and  the  boys  are  bringing 
them  in  by  the  thousand.  More  than  ten  thousand  have  been 
captured  and  put  to  death  in  less  than  two  days  on  the  Hartwell 
ranch  alone,  the  foreman  paying  five  cents  a  dozen  for  every  one  of 
them  On  Saturday  last  he  was  looking  over  the  ranch  and  thought 
that  he  had  one  eighty-acre  field  of  corn  secure,  but  on  the  Tues- 
day following  there  was  not  enough  left  to  plow. 

"  The  bugs  will  lock  their  legs  around  a  stalk  of  corn  and  run 
their  trunk  right  through  it  as  if  it  were  a  spike  driven  through  a 
pine  board. 

"  It  is  costing  us  hundreds  of  dollars  as  tribute  to  bug-hunt- 
ing expeditions,  plowing  our  land  over  and  replanting  where  a 
week  ago  we  had  as  good  a  stand  as  heart  could  wish: " 

Mr.  Bridgewater  also  gives  an  amusing  account  of  contests  be- 
tween his  "  elephant  bugs"  and  young  chickens,  and  on  this  point 
his  statements  are  corroborated  by  a  letter  from  another  corre- 
spondent received  in  June,  1900,  and  accompanied  by  a  specimen. 
In  both  cases  chickens  had  undertaken  to  devour  these  beetles,  but 
the  latter  had  saved  themselves  by  clasping  their  legs  around  the 


1902.]  THE    CORN   BILL-BUGS   IN   ILLINOIS.  449 

beak  of  the  bird,  and  holding-  on  so  vigorously  as  to  make  it  impos- 
sible for  the  chicken  to  open  its  mouth. 

The  box  of  beetles  accompanying-  Mr.  Bridgewater's  letter 
were  mainly  S.  ochrcus,  although  a  few  S.  pertinax  were  among 
the  lot.* 

In  consequence  of  this  letter  I  sent  Mr.  E.  S.  G.  Titus  to 
Bridgewater  early  in  June  to  study  the  outbreak  there,  and  ag-ain 
early  in  July.  He  spent  the  llth  and  12th  of  June  on  theHartwell 
ranch,  which  is  situated  on  the  Illinois  River  at  the  mouth  of  Hur- 
ricane Creek,  seven  miles  west  of  Roodhouse,  in  Greene  county. 
This  ranch  contains  five  thousand  acres,  mostly  bottom-lands  re- 
deemed for  cultivation  by  changing-  the  course  of  Hurricane  Creek, 
building  eleven  miles  of  levee,  and  excavating  drainage  ditches. 
One  of  these  ditches,  twenty -five  feet  wide  and  six  feet  deep,  drains 
a  large  bottom-land  lake,  the  bed  of  which  forms  a  considerable 
part  of  the  property.  About  4,500  acres  of  this  tract  had  been 
broken  up,  much  of  it  in  the  spring  of  1902,  and  2,500  acres  were 
planted  to  corn  this  year.  The  500  acres  not  under  cultivation  com- 
prise swamp-lands  still  unbroken,  bluff-lands  mainly  covered  with 
trees,  an  d  the  eleven  miles  of  ditch  which  drains  the  ranch. 

Several  hundred  acres  of  the  corn  on  this  place  were  more  or 
less  infested,  and  in  some  of  the  fields  the  first  planting  was  com- 
pletely ruined  and  the  second  also  badly  eaten.  Plants  attacked  by 
S.  ochreus  were  usually  killed,  the  effect  of  the  work  of  pertinax, 
a  smaller  species,  being  rather  to  dwarf  and  distort  the  growth 
than  to  kill  the  plant  outright. 

On  one  ten-acre  piece  of  corn  which  the  manager  wished 
especially  to  save,  the  beetles  had  been  picked  off  by  boys  at  a  cost 
of  from  three  to  five  cents  a  dozen,  and  10,400  were  brought  in.  In 
badly  infested  fields  from  one  to  five  beetles  were  found  on  every 
stalk  of  corn.  Careful  search  of  several  hundred  plants  failed  to 
discover  any  eggs  in  the  stalks  or  about  the  roots. 

An  observation  of  special  interest  was  made  at  this  place  with 
respect  to  the  effect  of  fall  plowing.  Owing  to  a  temporary  lack 
of  employment  for  the  teams  on  this  plantation  a  piece  of  sod  had 
been  broken  up  the  preceding  fall,  the  remainder  of  the  tract  lying 
unbroken  until  the  following  spring.  On  this  fall-plowed  land, 
which  was  merely  a  part  of  an  undivided  field,  the  only  injured 
corn  was  in  the  first  two  or  three  rows  adjoining  the  land  plowed 
in  spring,  and  the  harm  done  here  was  evidently  due  to  bill-bugs 
which  had  come  in  from  the  adjacent  ground. 


*See  also  the  discussion  of  S.  pertinax  in  the  present  article. 


450  BULLETIN  NO.  79.  [October, 

The  commonest  plant  on  the  unplowed  lands  was  the  club- 
rush  (  Sctrpus),  and  this  often  grows  in  considerable  quantity  on 
cultivated  land  that  has  been  broken  only  a  year.  Eggs  and  young- 
larvae,  evidently  those  of  Sphenophorus  ochreus,  were  found  in  the 
bulbs  of*  these  rushes  June  12,  and  the  females  were  still  heavy  with 
fully  developed  eggs. 

July  3,  when  this  place  was  visited  again,  larvae  were  still  com- 
mon in  the  bulbs,  owing-  no  doubt  to  continued  hatching,  and  the 
average  size  was  little  if  any  greater  than  at  the  previous  visit. 
Beetles  also  were  still  abundant,'  and  as  much  of  the  corn  land  was- 
now  overflowed, — owing  to  extraordinary  high  water  in  the  Illinois 
River, — most  of  the  bill-bugs  had  been  driven  to  the  higher  and 
drier  ground.  Many  of  them,  however,  were  still  on  the  rushes 
and  on  corn  under  water,  apparently  little  disturbed  by  their  sub- 
mersion. 

Such  of  the  second  planting  of  corn  as  had  survived  the  bill- 
bug  injury  was  in  bad  condition — dwarfed  and  much  deformed  in 
growth.  One  field  which  had  been  planted  the  third  time  was  al- 
ready practically  destroyed,  and  the  bill-bugs  were  still  present  on 
the  corn.  The  crop  on  the  field  plowed  in  fall  was  in  excellent 
condition,  but  considerable  damage  had  been  done  in  some  fields 
which  had  been  broken  up  from  sod  in  the  spring  of  1901  and 
plowed  for  corn  again  this  spring.  Their  condition  was  evidently 
due  to  insufficient  cultivation  last  year,  many  rushes  being  left  to 
grow  with  the  crop.  This  of  course  kept  the  bill-bugs  in  the  fields 
and  enabled  them  to  breed  there  last  year. 

From  the  general  condition  of  this  region  it  is  to  be  inferred 
that  fall  plowing  for  two  successive  years  with  clean  cultivation 
of  the  crop  will  afford  substantially  complete  protection  against 
this  bill-bug  injury,  except  as  the  beetles  from  adjacent  unbroken 
ground  may  occasionally  enter  a  corn  field  in  search  of  food. 

Summary  of  the  Life  History. — Our  earliest  collections  of  this 
beetle  were  made  on  the  21st  of  May,  at  which  time  the  sexes  were 
seen  in  copulo.  It  has  been  taken  by  us  in  swamps  and  corn  fields 
at  many  later  dates  up  to  July  27,  although  by  the  17th  of  that 
month  it  had  practically  disappeared  from  the  corn. 

Eggs  were  found  by  us  June  11,  but  as  young  larvae  were  pres- 
ent at  the  same  time  oviposition  must  have  begun  as  early  as  the 
first  of  June.  Indeed,  Webster  has  found  the  eggs  in  Indiana  late 
in  May.*  Other  eggs  have  occurred  in  the  course  of  our  work, 
either  in  the  field  or  in  breeding  experiments,  July  4,  16,  17,  22,  23, 


*  Webster,  F.  M.(  1890. 


1902.]  THE   CORN    BILL-BUGS   IN   ILLINOIS.  4$I 

and  30,  and  also  August  1,  thus  covering-  an  interval  of  about  two 
months. 

The  growth  of  the  larvae  seems  to  be  rather  slow,  none  of  those 
observed  by  us  having  reached  full  size  before  the  20th  of  July. 
Other  examples  of  the  larval  stage  were  found  at  intervals  to  Au- 
gust 28;  and  in  Webster's  experiments,  to  August  30.* 

Pupae  were  taken  from  our  breeding-cages  September  10;  and 
in  Webster's  observations,  from  August  21  to  30.  Images  from  our 
September  pupae  were  observed  September  16  and  17,  and  as  our  ex- 
perimental work  was  done  in  the  open  air,  the  plants  being  protect- 
ed only  by  wire  screens,  no  acceleration  of  the  transformations 
could  have  taken  place.  Webster  ('90)  found  adults,  to- 
gether with  larvae  and  pupae,  from  August  21  to  30.  Our 
collections  contain  no  specimens  of  this  species  taken  later  in  the 
year,  but  as  no  search  of  suitable  situations  has  been  made  in  lo- 
calities where  this  bill-bug  is  abundant  this  negative  evidence 
has  no  special  value.  It  seems  probable  that  the  species  is 
single-brooded,  with  a  long  breeding  period  extending  through 
about  four  months,  and  that  hibernation  occurs  mainly,  if  not  alto- 
gether, in  the  imago  stage.  There  is,  however,  nothing  definite 
to  show  that  the  beetles  emerge  from  their  underground  quarters 
before  the  spring  of  the  following  year.  As  other  species  of  bill- 
bugs  more  abundant  in  ordinary  situations  but  having  apparently 
a  similar  life  history  do  occur  abroad  in  fall,  it  is  likely  that  Sphe- 
nophorus  ochreus  will  be  found  to  have  a  similar  habit. 

Descriptive  Notes. — A  description  of  what  was  doubtless  the 
full-grown  larva  of  Sphenophorus  ochreus  was  published  by  me  in 
the  Sixteenth  Report  of  this  office,  page  56,  but  some  descriptive 
notes  made  from  a  living  half-grown  specimen  July  15  may  assist 
in  identification. 

Length,  extended  in  crawling,  6mm.  Head  light  mahogany- 
color,  with  mouth  parts  dark  brown,  almost  black.  First  segment 
behind  the  head  tinged  with  brown,  deepest  in  the  middle.  Body 
thickest  just  back  of  the  middle,  and  sloping  somewhat  abruptly 
to  the  tip  of  the  abdomen,  which  is  provided  with  a  circlet  of  weak 
brownish  bristles;  the  two  preceding  segments  with  similar  but 
weaker  bristles.  Lateral  folds,  extending  from  the  head  to  the  tip 
of  the  abdomen,  are  quite  distinct.  The  color  of  the  skin  is  dirty 
white,  and  sufficiently 'translucent  to  show  the  brownish  internal 
organs. 

The  egg  of  Sphenophorus  ochreus  is  3  mm.  long  and  about  half 


*  Webster,  F.  M.,  1890. 


452  BULLETIN  NO.  79.  [October, 

as  wide,  swelling-  somewhat  after  it  is  laid.  It  is  at  first  decidedly 
curved,  but  later  assumes  an  oval  form.  Color  opaque  white,  with  a 
faint  creamy  tinge.  Shell  transparent,  shining1,  smooth. 

SPHENOPHORUS  PERTINAX  OL.IV, 

This  beetle  is  evidently  a  lowland  or  swamp  species  in  great 
part,  often  breeding1,  like  the  clay-colored  bill-bug1,  in  the  stems 
and  bulbous  roots  of  coarse  semiaquatic  vegetation.  Dr.  Kellicott 
reared  it  repeatedly  to  the  imago  several  years  ago  in  July  and 
August  from  larvae  and  pupge  found  in  New  York  in  the  common 
cat-tail  flag1,  Typha  lati folia.  "  The  larva  cuts  an  oblique  burrow 
near  the  base  of  the  plant,  and  pupates  in  the  same.*"  Dr.  John 
Hamilton  has  found  it  common  in  the  salt  marshes  of  New  Jersey, 
and  believes  that  it  breeds  in  grasses  daily  wet  by  the  tide. 

In  Illinois  it  has  been  most  frequently  collected  in  swampy  re- 
gions or  along  the  borders  of  lakes,  and  in  corn  fields  has  been 
most  abundant  on  lands  recently  drained,  associated  there  with  the 
clay-colored  bill-bug1.  Our  Illinois  collections  were  all  made  in  the 
central  and  northern  parts  of  the  state,  aud  range  from  April  to 
August  of  several  years. 

The  injury  to  corn  is  similar  to  that  of  the  clay- colored  species, 
but  less  severe  owing  to  the  smaller  size  of  the  beetle.  The  plant 
injured  \>y  pertinax  v$>  less  frequently  killed  outright,  but  is  com- 
monly dwarfed,  often  becomes  badly  twisted  as  it  grows,  and  rarely 
forms  an  ear.  The  beetle  attacks  the  corn  plant  at  the  crown  be- 
low the  surface,  and  is  usually  nearly  or  quite  buried  in  the  earth. 
At  Bridgewater.  111.,  in  1902  it  was  about  as  common  on  corn  as 
the  larger  species,  but  was  frequently  overlooked  because  partially 
concealed  by  its  tnode  of  feeding.  In  swamps  it  has  been  found  on 
young  rushes  just  beneath  the  surface,  making  holes  in  the  ground 
like  minute  gopher  holes  to  get  at  its  food. 

Parrott  ('99)  reports  it  as  destructive  to  corn  in  Nebraska,  the 
injured  stalks  failing  to  produce  ears.  The  beetles  were  still  at 
work  on  the  corn  plant  July  27,  and  when  not  eating  were  to  be 
found  in  underground  burrows.  In  this  article,  published  in  the 
"Kansas  Farmer"  for  May  11,  1899,  he  says  that  the  eggs  of  per- 
tinax  were  deposited  June  24  to  26  in  burrows  about  an  inch  under 
ground  and  touching  the  roots  of  the  corn,  and  that  these  eggs 
were  hatching  July  18.  His  experiments  satisfied  him  that  it 
thrives  equally  well  in  a  blue-grass  sod.  He  assumes  that  it  hiber- 
nates in  the  pupa,  the  evidence  on  that  point  being  the  receipt  of 


*  Letter,  December  3,  1888. 


IQ02.]  THE   CORN    BILL-BUGS   IN    ILLINOIS.  453 

specimens  early  in  May,    1898,  some  of  which  had  the  peculiar 
pinkish  color  characteristic  of  beetles  just  from  the  pupa.* 

The  life  history  of  this  species  seems  thus  not  to  differ  materi- 
ally from  those  of  the  others  treated  in  this  paper,  although  our 
data  are  too  scanty  for  satisfactory  generalization.  Parrott's 
statement  with  regard  to  the  breeding-  of  the  species  in  corn,  based 
as  it  seems  to  be  on  experimental  data,  is  of  special  interest,  since 
we  have  no  other  observation  of  a  northern  species  laying  its  eggs 
on  the  corn  plant.  It  will  be  noticed  that  in  this  case  the  beetles 
were  under  confinement,  and  that  no  positive  inference  can  be 
made  as  to  their  choice  of  plants  for  breeding  in  the  field. 

SPHENOPHORUS  CAKIOSUS  OL.IV. 

This  bill-bug,  though  not  common  in  our  collections,  has  been 
taken  by  us  in  central  and  southern  Illinois  from  Pekin  to  Cairo. 
It  is  primarily  a  southern  species,  abundant  in  the  Gulf  States 
and  injurious  to  corn  in  South  Carolina.  Through  the  kindness  of 
Mr.  B.  F.  Johnson,  of  Champaign,  I  received  in  June,  1888,  fifty  liv- 
ing specimens  of  it  from  that  state,  with  the  information  that  it  was 
there  very  destructive  to  young  corn.  Some  of  these  beetles  laid 
eggs  in  captivity  June  4. 

In  Illinois  it  has  been  taken  but  once  on  corn  so  far  as  I  am 
aware.  May  1,  1891,  Mr.  John  Marten,  an  assistant  in  my  office, 
found  a  specimen  of  it  in  Urbana  at  the  base  of  a  very  young 
plant,  where  it  had  gnawed  a  cavity  in  the  stalk  just  below  the 
surface  of  the  ground,  and  kept  over  night  in  a  breeding-cage  it 
left  the  stalk  and  made  its  way  into  the  seed  kernel. 

The  imago  has  been  found  by  us  at  various  dates  from  April 
23  to  September  16.  The»earliest  specimens,  collected  at  Cham- 
paign April  23,  1892,  were  under  boards  and  driftwood  on  wet 
ground.  May  1,  1891,  a  single  beetle  was  taken  on  very  young 
corn  at  Urbana  ;  June  30,  1888,  it  was  obtained  from  a  deposit  of 
driftwood  beside  a  creek  ;  and  July  9  of  the  same  year,  from  a  sim- 
ilar situation  after  a  flooding  rain.  July  26,  1892,  it  was  brought 
in  from  Savanna,  in  northern  Illinois,  among  collections  made  in 
the  Mississippi  bottom  ;  and  August  16,  1891,  it  was  found  on  the 
bank  of  the  Ohio  River  near  Metropolis.  On  the  23d  of  August, 
1899,  a  number  of  these  beetles,  recently  transformed,  were  found 
at  Urbana,  still  in  their  underground  pupal  cells  at  the  base  of 
stalks  of  Cyperus  strigosus  ;  and,  finally,  September  16,  }879,  it  was 


*Letter  of  July  29,  1902. 


454  BULLETIN  NO.  79.  [  September, 

obtained  in  the  course  of  general  entomological  collecting-  from  the 
bottoms  of  the  Ohio  River  opposite  Cairo,  111.  It  seems  thus  to  be 
essentially  a  lowland  species,  and  probably  breeds,  like  S.  ochreus, 
in  coarse  grasses  and  similar  vegetation  of  swamps  and  bottom- 
lands. 

My  knowledge  of  the  life  history  of  the  species  is  based  main- 
ly on  Mr.  Marten's  observations  in  1889.  On  the  25th  of  July, 
1889,  four  larvae  which  proved  to  be  those  of  this  species  were 
found  in  the  stems  of  a  large  sedge  (Cyperus  strigosus}  growing  in 
a  corn  field  near  Champaign.  The  larvae  were  just  at  the  crown  of 
the  bulb,  which  they  had  almost  completely  excavated,  the  largest 
of  them  having,  in  fact,  entirely  cut  off  the  stem,  and  lying  in  a 
cavity  formed  by  the  bases  of  the  leaf  sheaths. 

On  the  29th  of  July  ethers  were  found  in  the  same  situation 
apparently  very  nearly  full  grown,  together  with  some  quite  young 
which  were  just  commencing  to  burrow  the  stalks.  No  evidence 
could  be  found  that  they  passed  from  one  stalk  to  another,  but  each 
apparently  got  its  growth  within  a  single  plant.  August  8  nearly 
all  the  larvae  in  this  field  were  about  full  grown,  but  no  pupae  were 
detected;  and  eight  days  later  all  had  apparently  gained  their 
growth,  but  again  no  pupae  were  found.  In  several  plants  empty 
excavations  were  seen,  and  August  20  pupae  were  detected  at  the 
base  of  the  stem  and  in  the  small  root  bulb.  They  were  too  large 
for  the  larval  cavity,  which  had  been  opened  out  by  eating  away 
one  side,  the  pupal  cell  being  completed  by  gnawed  chips  and  ex- 
crement closely  packed.  On  August  23d  larvae  of  various  ages, 
together  with  pupae  and  adults  of  this  beetle  still  in  their  pupal  cells, 
were  brought  in  by  Mr. Marten  from  stalks  of  C  strigosus  in  this 
same  field.  Sometimes  the  pupal  cells  were  found  among  the  fi- 
brous roots  of  the  plant  quite  outside  the  cavity  formed  by  the  lar- 
va in  the  stem,  the  walls  of  the  cell  being  then  formed  of  compact 
earth  often  intermingled  with  chips  from  the  stem.  On  the  26th 
of  August  larvae  of  all  ages  were  obtained,  some  of  them  scarcely 
twice  as  large  as  when  first  hatched,  and  others  fully  prepared  for 
pupation.  Pupae  and  adults  were  likewise  found,  the  latter  still  in 
their  underground  cells  which,  in  some  cases,  were  still  contained 
within  the  stem  of  the  sedge,  the  fragments  of  the  plant  having 
been  tightly  packed  tcgether  to  make  a  compact  case,  so  smooth 
within  as  to  suggest  that  it  had  been  lined  by  a  larval  secretion. 

September  6,  half-grown  and  full-sized  larvae,  together  with 
pupae  in  various  stages  of  advancement  were  still  to  be  found,  and 
also  eggs,  apparently  of  this  beetle,  placed  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
outer  sheath  or  inserted  into  that  and  the  second  leaf  also. 


IQ02.]  THE   CORN   BILL-BUGS   IN    ILLINOIS.  455 

Small  round  holes  were  seen  in  the  ground  from  which  adults  had 
apparently  emerged. 

From  these  observations  it  is  to  be  inferred  that  the  breeding- 
period  of  this  species  is  very  long,  the  eggs  being1  laid  at  intervals 
through  many  weeks.  The  largest  larva  noticed  July  25  could  not 
have  hatched  from  the  egg  later  than  the  middle  of  that  month, 
and  the  very  young  of  August  26  could  have  been  at  most  but 
a  few  days  old.  Pupation  and  the  formation  of  the  adult  by  Au- 
gust 23  and  the  subsequent  disappearance  of  images  from  the 
ground,  together  with  their  occurrence  in  the  field  as  late  as  Sep- 
tember 16,  warrant  us  in  assuming  the  hibernation  of  the  imago, 
although  it  is  of  course  possible  that  some  observed  as  larvae  may 
have  hibernated  in  the  pupa  stage.  There  is  no  evidence  in  these 
data  for  more  than  a  single  generation  of  this  species  in  our  lati- 
tude. 

Description  of  Larva. — Head  pale  yellowish  brown,  darkened 
toward  mouth  parts,  mandibles  black,  other  mouth  parts  brown, 
body  white  except  cervical  shield,  which  is  slightly  embrowned, 
paler  than  head  ;  spiracles  pale  brown,  first  very  large,  remaining 
eight  small  but  gradually  larger  from  before  backward,  the  last, 
however,  about  twice  as  wide  as  preceding  ;  sutural  grooves  very 
distinct  below,  where  they  are  cut  at  the  sides  by  about  five  or 
six  longitudinal  grooves,  becoming  fainter  downwards.  Several 
long  soft  hairs  on  head  and  inferior  thoracic  region,  and  some 
shorter,  stouter  ones  at  tip  of  abdomen  ;  elsewhere,  body  nearly  or 
quite  naked.  Form  of  body  short  and  thick,  gradually  swollen 
posteriorly,  segments  7-9  being  thickest ;  anal  segment  with  quad- 
rate excavation  above,  between  the  last  two  spiracles.  Tubercles 
beneath  thorax  broad,  low,  shining,  not  especially  hairy. 

Clypeus  membranous  ;  labrum  obtusely  angled  in  front,  with 
two  spines  on  the  surface  at  about  middle  of  antero-posterior 
diameter,  about  equally  distant  from  each  other  and  from  the  mar- 
gins ;  two  similar  spines  at  front  angles,  and  two  other  marginal 
ones  a  short  distance  within.  Two  of  the  inferior  spines  near  the 
middle  of  the  margin  are  furcate.  Labium  largely  membranous, 
palpi  two-jointed,  basal  segment  a  little  longer  than  wide,  terminal 
one  slightly  oval,  about  half  as  wide  as  the  other.  Ligula  membra- 
nous, densely  hairy  in  front,  basal  part  of  maxillae  bisinuate  without, 
bearing  two  long  hairs,  one  near  palpus,  the  other  at  basal  third  ; 
palpus  two-jointed,  basal  joint  broader  than  long,  second  small, 
ovate,  half  as  wide  as  preceding  ;  lobe  of  maxillae  semi-oval,  with 
about  ten  dagger-like  and  furcate  spines  on  terminal  edge.  Man- 


456  BULLETIN  NO.  79.  [October, 

dibles  triangular,  almost  equilateral,  acute  and  slightly  hooked  at 
tip,  biting1  edge  with  a  single  triangular  median  tooth. 

Length  of  larva,  15  mm.  ;  greatest  depth,  5  mm.  ;  greatest 
width,  5  mm. 

ADDITIONAL  SPECIES. 

Sphenophorus  scoparius  Horn,  found  by  us  but  rarely  on  corn 
and  grass,  has  occurred  in  our  collections  from  June  16  to  July  7, 
and  from  northern  to  central  Illinois. 

Sphenophorus  sculptilis  Uhler,  described  as  ze<z  in  1867  because 
of  its  injuries  to  corn,  has  been  surprisingly  rare  in  our  collections, 
and  has  never  been  taken  by  us  from  the  corn  plant  in  Illinois. 
June  7,  1884,  specimens  were  found  on  blades  and  heads  of  timothy 
at  Du  Quoin,  in  southern  Illinois,  and  July  9,  1888,  a  single  one 
was  taken  in  a  flood  collection  on  the  bank  of  a  small  creek  at  Ur- 
bana.  It  has  appeared  in  our  general  collections  from  Chicago  to 
Villa  Ridge  in  extreme  southern  Illinois,  and  on  various  dates  from 
June  7  to  November  26.  It  is,  however,  doubtless  locally  destruc- 
tive to  corn  in  this  state  since  it  has  been  reported  by  entomologists 
as  injurious  to  that  crop  in  Massachusetts,  New  York,  New 
Jersey,  Delaware,  Maryland,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina, 
Florida,  Alabama,  Pennsylvania,  Indiana,  Ohio,  Missouri,  Arkan- 
sas, Iowa,  and  Kansas. 

In  most  cases  where  definite  statements  have  been  made  con- 
cerning its  injuries  the  fact  has  been  noted  that  the  injured  crop 
was  growing  on  timothy  sod. 

The  larvae  and  pupae  have  been  seen  by  Hopkins,  (  W.  Va.  ), 
who  calls  this  species  the  timothy  bill-bug,  and  thinks  that  it  is  one 
of  the  prime  causes  of  the  early  failure  of  meadows.  He  finds  the 
larva  from  June  to  September,  and  pupae  and  adults  from  August 
to  October.  In  these  points  of  its  life  history  it  apparently  agrees 
very  well  with  Sphenophorus  parv ulus. 

•  Sphenophorus  robustus  Horn  occurs  in  our  collections  but  six 
times,  and  in  but  two  of  these  with  a  date,  one  in  June  and  the 
other  July  1.  Although  an  abundant  and  destructive  species  in 
the  Southern  States  and  ranging  with  us  to  extreme  northern  Illi- 
nois, it  is  apparently  too  rare  in  this  state  to  have  any  economic 
significance. 


IQO2.]  THE  CORN   BILL-BUGS    IN   ILLINOIS.  457 


RECENT  BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


WEBSTER,  F.   M. — Life  History  of  one  of  the  Bill-bugs,  Sphenophorus  ochreus 

Lee.     (Insect  Life,  Nov.  1889,  Vol.  2,  p,  132.) 

Quotes  statement  of  Forbes  in  1888  (see  'go)  concerning  injuries  to  young  corn 
on  newly  drained  swamp  lands.  Believes  serious  injury  in  several  situations  has 
been  done  for  several  years  jn  Indiana,  hundreds  of  acres  being  thus  destroyed. 
Beetles  hibernate  as  adults,  coming  forth  in  spring,  feeding  on  inner  parts  of 
stems  of  reeds,  rushes,  and  young  corn.  Eggs  laid  in  or  about  roots  of  Scirpus 
late  in  May  and  early  in  June.  Larvae  live  within  the  bulbous  roots,  and  beetles 
appear  in  August  and  September.  Has  reared  adults  from  the  egg  in  Scirpus 
bulbs  kept  in  dry  earth  from  the  middle  of  June  until  the  25th  of  August.  Infers 
that  larvae  cannot  be  starved  by  midsummer  plowing. 

1890. 

FORBES,  S.  A.— The  Corn  Bill-bugs  (Sphenophorus  sp.).   ( i6th  Rep.  State  Ent. 
111.,  for  the  Years  1887  and  1888,  pp.  58-74. ) 

Contains  an  analysis  of  literature  concerning  each  of  the  species  of  the  genus, 
with  description  of  the  genus  Sphenophorus  and  an  analytical  key  to  Illinois 
species  ;  the  original  description  of  S.  minimus ;  a  description  of  the  larvae  of 
ochreus  and  parvulus  ;  and  an  account  of  the  life  histories  of  species  so  far  as 
known,  of  their  injuries  to  corn  and  other  vegetation,  of  their  natural  enemies, 
and  of  preventive  and  remedial  measures.  It  is  followed  by  an  economic  bibliog- 
raphy of  sixty-one  titles,  ranging  from  1808  to  1888.  The  paper  is  illustrated  by 
twenty  heliotype  figures  of  images  on  three  plates. 

WEBSTER,   F.   M. — Notes   upon  some   Insects  Affecting    Corn .     (Insect    Life, 
Nov.  1850,  Vol.  3,  p.  159. ) 

Reports  finding  of  eggs  of  Sphenophorus  ochreus  in  stems  of  Scirpus,  which 
eggs  resemble  those  obtained  from  ovaries  of  females.  Concludes  that  eggs  may 
be  deposited  in  stems  of  the  plant  and  not  always  in  the  root. 

1891. 
SMITH,  J.  B.— Notes  of  the  Year  in  New  Jersey.     ( Insect   Life,  Oct.  1891,  Vol. 

4,  P-  44- ) 

Reports  appearance  of  corn  bill-bug,  Sphenophorus  sculptilis,  in  large  num- 
bers in  three  New  Jersey  counties.  Destroyed  many  acres  of  corn  by  drilling 
holes  in  young  plants  at  or  near  the  surface  of  the  ground.  The  second  crop, 
replanted  after  short  delay,  was  undisturbed.  The  beetles  were  most  numerous 
on  old  sod,  but  not  confined  to  such  land. 

MCCARTHY,  GERALD. — Some  Injurious   Insects.    ( Bull.  78,  N.  C.  Agr.  Exper. 

Station,  p.  18. ) 

Paragraph  on  troublesome  bill-bug  or  corn  curculio,  Sphenophorus  ze<e. 
Says  mature  bug  bites  into  young  plants  near  the  ground  and  deposits  its  eggs  in 
the  place  bitten,  the  eggs  soon  hatching  into  grubs  which  burrow  into  the  pith,' 
dwarfing  the  plant  or  killing  it  outright.  Characterizes  this  species  as  a  semi- 
aquatic  insect,  and  seldom  troublesome  except  upon  very  wet  land.  Advises 
hand-picking,  drainage,  and  thorough  cleaning  of  the  fields  in  fall. 


458  BULLETIN  NO.  79.  [October, 


OSBORN,  HERBERT,  and  GOSSARD,  H.   A.  -  Corn   Bill-bugs.     (Bull.  Iowa  Agr. 

Exper.  Station,  Aug.  1892,  No.  18,  pp.  507-509.) 

Describes  injuries  to  corn  and  other  crops  by  the  clay-colored  bill-bugi 
Sphenophorus  ochreus,  and  the  little  brown  bill-bug,  S.  parvulus.  Quotes  from 
Webster  ( '89 )  and  copies  his  figures  of  S.  ochreus.  Also  quotes  from  Forbes  ( '90 ) 
with  respect  to  failure  of  beetles  to  breed  in  corn.  Advises  that  bulbous  roots  of 
shrubs  on  recently  drained  land  be  examined,  and  that  if  larvae  of  S.  ochreus  are 
found  the  ground  be  broken  as  early  in  summer  as  possible,  preferably 
before  June  i.  Quotes  Webster's  statement  ( '89  )  concerning  early  plowing.  Re- 
gards 6".  parvulus  as  likely  to  become  a  much  more  permanent  and  serious  pest 
than  the  preceding.  Quotes  life  history  from  Forbes  ( '90)  and  summarizes  facts 
concerning  injury  to  wheat  and  rye  from  Webster  ( '92).  Says  losses  to  corn  due 
to  this  species  are  often  serious,  and  quotes  letter  giving  description  of  injuries 
to  field  of  corn  near  Massena,  Iowa,  1892.  Damaged  crop  was  planted  on  old 
timothy  sod  broken  up  in  March.  First  planting  taken  almost  entirely;  second 
planting,  finished  June  17,  seriously  injured,  but  not  entirely  destroyed.  Osborn 
concludes  that  the  bill-bug  had  developed  in  the  timothy  or  perhaps  in  other 
grasses  near  the  affected  fields.  Probably  in  most  cases  found  largely  in  the  im- 
mediate locality  where  issuing.  Regards  outlook  for  preventive  measures  as  by 
no  means  encouraging.  Suggests,  however,  that  since  worse  injuries  are  likely 
to  occur  on  land  previously  in  grass  or  adjacent  to  such  land  plowing  should  be 
done  as  early  in  the  previous  season  as  possible,  and  that  such  ground  should  be 
planted  late  and  rather  heavy  at  first.  Crop  of  sod  corn  might  be  raised  by  break- 
ing ground  first  of  June  and  planting  at  once. 

OSBORN,  HERBERT.  — Notes  on  Injurious  Insects  of  1892.    ( Insect    Life,   Nov- 

1892,  Vol.  5,  p.  112.) 

Bill-bugs  have  for  the  first  time  caused  serious  injury  in  Iowa,  Sphenophorus 
parvuhis  being  the  most  wide-spread  and  destructive.  Seems  to  have  increased 
rapidly  in  late  years,  and  threatens  to  become  a  very  serious  pest.  S.  ochreus 
often  seen,  but  not  likely  to  cause  extensive  damage  in  Iowa  because  of  compara- 
tive scarcity  of  swampy  land  bearing  rushes. 

BECKWITH,  M.  H.— The  Corn    Bill-bug,   Sphenophorus   sculptilis.      (5th    Ann. 
Rep.  Del.  Coll.  Agr.  Exper.  Station,  p.  102.) 

Describes  injuries  to  corn.  Says  life  history  is  not  known.  Supposes  that 
eggs  are  deposited  among  the  roots  of  timothy  grass,  and  that  the  larva  feeds  up- 
on such  roots.  Describes  injury  to  cornfield  in  Delaware  observed  May  20,  corn 
being  about  three  inches  high.  Experiments  with  London  purple  applied  to  corn, 
and  with  poisoned  bunches  of  clover  placed  between  the  rows  produced  no  ap- 
parent result.  Cultivation  of  corn  began  May  24,  and  this  seemed  to  arrest  in- 
jury June  I.  Scarcely  any  beetles  could  be  found  in  corn  fields,  although  con- 
siderable numbers  were  seen  among  the  roots  of  timothy  on  a  field  adjoining.  Be- 
lieves that  beetles  may  be  driven  out  of  field  by  cultivation. 

WEBSTER,  F.  M.— Insects  which  Burrow  in  the  Stems  of  Wheat.      (  Bull.  40, 
Ohio  Agr.  Exper.  Station,  p.  72. ) 

Brief  article  on  Sphenophorus par-vulus,  here  called  the  grain  Sphenophorus. 
Speaks  of  it  as  doing  a  little  injury  in  the  larval  state  to  wheat,  oats,  and  barley, 
also  having  eaten  the  bulbous  roots  of  timothy,  and  puncturing  the  young  roots  of 
corn.  Says  female  lays  eggs  in  or  a  little  above  the  roots,  probably  late  in  May 
or  in  June,  but  oviposition  had  been  observed  as  late  as  July  I.  Larva  feeds  with- 


IQO2.]  THE   CORN   BILL-BUGS   IN   ILLINOIS.  459 

in  straw  until  it  becomes  too  large  for  its  burrow,  and  then  passes  to  the  roots' 
often  destroying  a  whole  stool  of  the  grain  in  this  way.  Pupates  beside  the  roots, 
and  after  two  or  three  weeks  transforms  to  the  adult.  Has  reared  these  beetles 
from  wheat  stubble  in  August. 

BRUNER,  LAWRENCE.— Report  on    Nebraska   Insects.     (Bull.    22,    U.    S.    Div. 
Em.,  p.  99.) 

Discusses  Sphenophorus  parvulus,  under  the  name  of  the  blue-grass  weevil. 
Says  it  has  been  increasing  quite  rapidly  in  numbers,  and  is  one  of  the  commonest 
beetles  in  the  city  of  Lincoln,  Neb.  Feeds  on  roots  of  common  blue-grass,  and  in 
some  lawns  has  killed  large  patches  of  sod.  Beetles  appear  in  early  fall  and 
spring.  Thinks  the  insect  is  probably  double  brooded,  but  says  that  some  of  the 
beetles  may  come  out  in  fall  while  the  remainder  may  lie  overthe  winteras  pupae. 
Found  fully  mature  larvae  early  in  June  and  others  in  October.  Damp  and  well- 
watered  lawns  infested  as  badly  as  those  that  are  dry,  although  they  do  not  show 
the  injury  so  quickly. 

SMITH,  J.  B.— Report  of  the  Entomologist.      ( I2th  Ann.  Rep.  N.  J.  Agr.  Exper- 

Station,  for  the  Year  1891,  pp.  394-395.) 

Gives  report  of  correspondents  concerning  injuries  to  corn.  One  says  "  Very 
much  worse  where  there  is  wire-grass  or  quack-grass.  "  Another  says  that  he  hears 
much  complaint  of  them,  confined  principally  to  old  mowing-lands.  Another 
says  the  beetle  is  commonly  known  as  the  timothy  bug,  as  it  only  seems  to  be 
bad  after  an  old  timothy  sod  is  turned  down  ;  and  still  another  reports  it 
as  sometimes  very  destructive  to  young  corn  when  planted  on  timothy  sod  plowed 
in  spring  or  late  winter.  Said  also  to  be  very  injurious  in  Chester  county,  Pa. 
Injuries  reported  from  May  25  to  June  17.  Smith  says  nothing  is  positively 
known  concerning  early  stages.  Reason  to  believe  that  larva  lives  in  timothy 
sod.  Found  no  eggs  in  punctured  corn  plants.  Mentions  use  of  arsenical  poi- 
sons and  kerosene,  but  is  skeptical  as  to  their  value.  Thinks  it  poor  policy  to  re- 
plant only  hills  killed  by  the  beetles,  because  these  would  be  killed  in  turn. 
Recommends  plowing  sod  for  corn  in  fall  and  early  winter  with  a  view  to  killing 
out  the  insects  living  in  or  under  the  sod. 

1893- 

SMITH,  J.  B.— Report  of   the  Entomologist.     (  I3th  Ann.  Rep.  N.  J.  Agr.   Ex- 
per. Station,  for  the  Year  1892,  p.  390. ) 

Mentions  corn  bill-bug  as  again   troublesome  in  some   counties,   frequently 
necessitating  the  replanting  of  corn.     Injury  minimized   when   fall    plowing  has 
been  practiced.     Period  of  injury  short  ;  replantings  generally  unharmed. 
WEBSTER,  F.  M.— (  Ohio  Farmer,  July  20,  1893,  Vol.84,  p.  57.) 

Reports  on  larva  of  a  Sphenophorus  sent  him  by  a  correspondent  who  found 
it  in  a  root  of  growing  wheat.  Probably  S.  parvulus.  Describes  injuries  by  this 
insect  to  wheat  and  corn.  Says  field  of  corn  near  Jefferson,  Ohio,  was  seriously 
injured  by  it  in  1893,  and  refers  to  other  corn-eating  species.  Says  that  in  wheat 
fields  the  eggs,  which  he  figures,  are  deposited  just  above  the  roots,  but  that  the 
young,  after  hatching,  works  its  way  upward  ;  and  that  as  it  gets  larger  it  crawls 
down  and  eats  its  way  out  of  the  straw,  finishing  its  growth  among  the  roots.  Oft- 
en eats  the  underground  portion  of  a  whole  stool,  causing  it  to  wither  and  die 
before  the  kernels  have  filled.  Mentions  occurrence  in  timothy,  and  says  that 
injuries  to  corn  are  usually  local  and  not  frequent.  Surmises  that  fall  plowing 
would  probably  result  in  the  diminution  or  prevention  of  the  trouble,  and  sug- 


400  BULLETIN  NO.  79.  [October, 

gests  planting  some  other  crop  than  corn  where  the  occurrence   of  this   injury  is 
very  probable.     In  Indiana,  rye  is  used  in  this  connection  to  advantage. 

1894. 
OSBORN,    HERBERT. — Corn    Insects,    their    Injuries,    and    how   to  treat   them 

(  Bull.  Iowa  Agr.  Exper.  Station,  No.  24,  p.  997. ) 

Says  clay-colored  bill-bug,  Sphenophums  ochreits,  sometimes  causes  consider- 
able injury  to  corn.  Refers  briefly  to  this  species  and  to  S.parvulus,  discussed  in 
previous  bulletins,  and  mentions  also  S.  sculptilis,  which  sometimes  becomes  nu- 
merous enough  to  eat  the  whole  stool  to  the  root.  Refers  to  suggestion  that  sand 
saturated  with  kerosene  be  placed  around  each  hill.  Regards  it  as  of  doubtful 
value.  Advises  killing  corn  with  kerosene  if  necessary  to  destroy  the  beetles,  re- 
planting afterwards,  thus  arresting  their  increase. 

1895. 
WEED,  HOWARD  EVARTS. — Insects  Injurious  to  Corn.  (  Bull.  Miss.  Agr.  Exper. 

Station,  Nov.  1895,  No-  35>  P-  I54-) 

Brief  note  on  corn  bill-bugs,  with  copied  figures.  Recommends  hand-pick- 
ing when  beetles  occur  in  small  numbers,  and  spraying  with  Paris  green  when  on 
the  base  of  the  stalk  if  they  are  numerous.  Says  second  planting  of  corn  will  be 
but  little  if  at  all  attacked,  and  that  when  sod  has  been  broken  up  in  fall,  the 
beetles  will  do  but  little  damage  the  following  spring. 


HOPKINS,  A.  D.— Some  Notes  on  Observations  in  West  Virginia.     (Bull.  17,  U.  S. 

Div.  Ent.,  p.  45. ) 

Refers  to  Sphenophorus  sculptilis  as  the  timothy  bill-bug,  and  ascribes  to  it 
considerable  injury  to  timothy  plants  during  past  three  or  four  years.  Thinks  it 
is  one  of  the  prime  causes  of  early  failure  of  meadows.  Believes  permanent  in- 
jury can  be  largely  prevented  by  liberal  applications  of  stable  manure,  tobacco 
dust,  lime,  or  other  suitable  fertilizer  to  the  sod  immediately  after  hay  harvest. 
Larvae  of  this  species  occur  in  June  to  September,  and  the  pupae  and  adults  in 
August  to  October. 

1809. 

PARROT,  PERCY  J. — Bill-bugs  on  Corn.  (  Kansas  Farmer,  May  n,  1809,  p.  314. ) 
Reports  Sphenophorus pertinax  as  injurious  to  corn  in  Nebraska.  Experi- 
ments show  that  it  thrives  equally  well  in  blue-grass  sod.  Injured  corn  often 
fails  to  produce  ears.  Experiments  with  kerosene  are  mainly  unsuccessful.  Ad- 
vises destruction  of  infested  canes  if  larvae  are  found  in  the  field,  rooting  up 
and  burning  over  corn  stubble  in  fall  to  destroy  pupae,  and  cultivation  of  swamp 
tracts  to  destroy  beetles.  Reports  deposit  of  eggs  June  14  to  26  in  the  bur- 
rows of  beetles  about  one  inch  below  the  surface  of  the  ground  and  touching 
the  corn.  Eggs  hatching  July  18;  beetles  still  at  work  July  27.  When  not  eating) 
the  beetles  were  to  be  found  in  burrows  underground,  either  at  the  base  of  the 
corn  or  elsewhere. 

LUGGER,  OTTO.— Beetles  (  Coleoptera )  Injurious  to  our  Fruit-producing  Plants. 

(  Bull.  Univ.  Minn.  Agr.  Exper.  Station,  Dec.  1809,  ^T°-  66,  pp.  269  and  301. ) 

Incidental  mention  of  S.parvulus  as  very  numerous  in   the   roots   of   grasses 

several  years  previous  in  Druid  Hill  Park,  Baltimore,  Md.     Expelled  from  sod  by 

application  of  malodorous  manure  followed  by  heavy  rain.     "The  next  day  im- 


IOO2.]  THE   CORN   BILL-BUGS   IN   ILLINOIS.  461 

mense  numbers  of  beetles  ( S.  parvulus  Gyll.)  could  be  seen  upon  all  the  side- 
walks and  seats  on  and  about  the  lawn;  they  were  evidently  driven  out  of  the 
ground  by  this  offensive  manure."  Quotes  Professor  Smith  concerning  injury  to 
corn  by  bill-bugs.  Corn  so  injured  called  "  Frenchy  "  in  eastern  Maryland  and  in 
Virginia. 


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